Telangana: Smart panels to replace blackboards in schools

As part of extending digital education under the 'Mana Ooru – Mana Badi' programme, the interactive flat panels are being installed in the government and local body schools across Telangana

Hyderabad: Starting next academic year, learning will be more engaging and entertaining for government school students. The traditional blackboards in government schools are being replaced with interactive flat panels that work as mini computers.

Apart from being used as a regular blackboard for teaching and screening audio-video content, the interactive flat panels can also be used for online interactive sessions with subject experts.

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As part of extending digital education under the ‘Mana Ooru – Mana Badi‘ programme, the interactive flat panels are being installed in the government and local body schools across the State. The School Education Department has procured 13,983 such flat panels.

To begin with, select high schools with the highest enrollments are being provided three interactive flat panels and one for schools with fewer admissions. These devices will be used for teaching students of Classes VIII, IX and X. “The interactive flat panels that come with a touch screen option can be used like a computer wherein several tabs can be opened and content can be downloaded from the internet and the same can be screened. There is a provision for a plug-in flash drive to these panels as well,” an official said.

Not just procuring the panels, the School Education Department has focused on creating digital content. Accordingly, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) with the assistance of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is coming up with the content. Audio-video content of the State syllabus and content from the Diksha portal is being prepared to be used in the panels.

Apart from interactive flat panels, the State government, on a pilot basis, is establishing Virtual Reality (VR) labs in five government schools in the State. The labs, equipped with VR headgear, will assist students in learning lessons — such as the functions of the heart and cell formation — by walking into them in a VR representation using immersive and interactive technologies.